Nightmare
by FearlessTiger
Summary: Even the hardcore can be bothered by dreams. Luckily, this one tiger has a panda who'll always be there for her - whether she feels comfortable about it or not. Edited.


**AN: Hello and welcome to my edited version of my first story. For those of you who've read this before and something possessed you to do so again, all hail mad editing skillz; for the others who read this oldie for the first time, well, you have nothing to compare it with, so just enjoy. I completely removed the second chapter because it was so stupid and unneeded that it got my eyes bleeding, so this will remain a oneshot.**

**Lil' warning (so I don't get virtually punched): This is somewhat violent and contains a bit of blood and a mad peacock on a rampage. Run while you still can.**

**Disclaimer: Me not own.**

_~Nightmare~_

Nightmares were not an unusual occurrence for Master Tigress. The depressing and occasionally violent images her own mind tormented her with were not something she had under control by any means, but the Kung Fu veteran had learned to accept their troubling existence.

Usually, she dreamed of her Master's painfully disappointed features as he dragged her supposedly useless and incompetent frail body towards the Orphanage, unwilling to guide her further in the art she had come to love so dearly. She would see Tai Lung's proud smile as Shifu praised him even from a considerable distance, his face sewn in the red sky, never to leave her alone in her misery.

Later in life, after the Dragon Warrior's abrupt appearance that seemed to wholly crumble both her confidence in her abilities and her strong belief in justice and harmony, the nightmares changed slightly – no longer was Shifu banning her from the Jade Palace, but the _panda_.

Unexpectedly, however, the same panda she had detested wholeheartedly came to be her source of peace. He had defeated the most feared Kung Fu warrior with nothing but his courage and – she would always think with a smile – _insane guts_. Much like it did to her Master, Tai Lung's heroic defeat brought her a sense of tranquility that had miraculously lessened her sessions of nightly torment.

This was probably why it hit her so powerfully now.

The fight with Lord Shen had taken place only a few hours earlier, when the colors of the evening were only a gentle caress to the blue sky. Unforeseen circumstances and the adamant refusal of the Kung Fu Masters to head home while Gongmen City was still in need had led to her current predicament – struggling to find rest in a humble apartment complex Master Croc had kindly provided them with. The next day, they were to finally begin their journey home, so Po had obnoxiously decided to 'sleep like bricks and fuel up for the awesomeness', though nobody seemed to understand what could be so amazing about a day on the road.

Regardless, had Tigress been aware of what her own treacherous mind prepared for her, she would have gladly opted for offering her aid to the workers rebuilding the damaged areas of the city.

As fate decided to be unreasonably cruel, the feline was left sweating and thrashing on her mattress, eyes shut tightly and uncharacteristic whimpers escaping her lips.

_The chains were rough and cold on her paws, to the point where even her trained, numb skin could feel the sting of her captivity. The bodies of her equally defenseless comrades provided her with only a little bit of warmth, in which she took silent comfort. _

_As they neared the decks, the Furious Five could see the detestable pride on their enemy's features and Tigress wished nothing more than to break free of her restraints and prove her worthiness of being the second in command of China's finest warriors by snapping his neck and ending the suffering he'd inflicted upon hundreds of innocent people._

_As if reading her mind completely, the steel grew even tighter and she hung her head in shame, completely discouraged. There was nothing she could do now. The very moment she had so incompetently failed to protect the most important member of their team meant their undisputable loss._

_For the first time in her very existence, Tigress was helpless. Even as an orphan, she'd still had her menacing aura to protect her from undesired attention. Now, though, she was going to die so easily. Her friends were going to die. Her __**family**__ was going to die._

_Oh, Po…_

_As Shen continued to shamelessly end the lives of the few brave souls who dared oppose him, Tigress felt her despair turn into dangerous anger. __**He'd**__ caused so much pain and torment! __**He'd **__killed Po!_

''_You coward!'' she snarled, using the last bit of her strength to force her immobilized foot into movement. The potentially harmful kick was easily blocked with a chuckle, which only fueled the feline's rage. How dare he?!_

_Fully aware of his superior position, Shen menacingly advanced towards the Furious Five and gave them a look of mock pity. ''How the mighty have fallen,'' he whispered loud enough for them to hear, frowning dangerously when the Masters responded by proceeding to make his feathers involuntarily shiver at the low sounds of feral animals they were producing._

_Fury at the effect they still had on him clouded Shen's mind and he acted impulsively, signaling to the wolves to retreat, which they did hastily, in fear of the peacock's wrath._

_His pupils dilated, Shen remained still for what seemed to be an eternity, before a shrill battle cry erupted from his throat and he mercilessly pounded a knife into a powerless Monkey's abdomen repeatedly, ignoring the unforgiving screams of the incapacitated Masters and the gasps coming from wolves and citizens alike. When Monkey's body went completely limp, he laughed insanely, finally feeling content after he – Lord Shen, and no other – had murdered one of the most feared warriors in history._

_Tigress turned livid, losing control over her mind and body. She moved whatever limbs she could and screamed insults and words she would have been reprimanded for by any other Master._

_Her other companions shared her sentiments and reactions, but the feline was already too far gone to even acknowledge their presence any longer._

_Shen stopped laughing to plant a smile on his face, ignoring the insults coming from the Masters and Gongmen's citizens. Yes, yes, to murder a defenseless opponent was the greatest shame of a warrior… So he did it again. And again and again, until his feathers turned a bright crimson and blood and flesh poured down his knives into a sickening pool at his feet._

_Eyes that spoke of madness and lust for power fell onto the one who remained, the one who was his prize of silver. The Dragon Warrior was only a memory and he would make sure China's prized jewel, Shifu's adopted daughter, fell to the ground in glory – __**his **__glory – before he became king of the entire world. _

_She was shrieking no more, instead staring at her fallen friends – family – with eyes that looked more dead than their bodies were. The pain was excruciating and she had suffered no wound, which brought on a broken sentiment that barely echoed in her heart. __**Why **__had __**she **__not been the one to hurt? Was she not to be the very first to lose her life to protect what she held dear? Was it not what she had trained for so badly?_

_If so… If so… Then __**why was her heart still beating**__?_

_The cause of her despair kneeled until they were at eye level. Insanity met deep depression and it was as if Tigress saw through him. The sea and sky were joined in a red curtain of life essence and she knew that, beyond the blood, Hell awaited her._

_Just as she was ready to let herself drop on Shen's stained weapon and end her useless life in the way of the warrior she was certain she had failed to be, the crimson of her vision was pierced by clear blue as she realized she was staring into the eyes of a lifeless Shifu, whose body was being balanced on the sword that had ended his life._

_Tigress could not stand it anymore._

''_N-no… Please!''_

''_No!_'' the shrill scream disturbed the stillness of the night. Tigress finally woke up panting, confusion, fear and hate for herself causing her already exhausted body to tremble uncontrollably. The nightmare having been so intense, she had trouble identifying her location as well as her state of being. With the darkness engulfing her, the Master almost believed she had truly died and this was a form of being tortured in the afterlife.

A colorful light suddenly appeared by a window Tigress only then noticed and she was frightened for a moment, before her rational mind helped her decipher what it actually was.

Fireworks.

The mere notion was enough to get memories that had been escaping her to flood before her eyes almost painfully and the feline let out a long, relieved breath. Nothing had been real.

Pushing away the almost overpowering urge to check on each of her companions and revel in the fact that they were all alive and well, Tigress leaned back to rest her head on the wall, attempting to use meditation to reestablish balance in her mind.

'Attempting' being the key word.

Her bedroom door opened slowly with a highly irritating, prolonged creaking noise, as if whoever was entering her room (uninvited) was trying to be quiet and failing miserably.

She immediately identified her visitor without even turning around and sighed patiently. The Master did not mind Po's company by any means, but she needed to sort some things out with herself at the moment. Perhaps his 'urgent problems' could wait until morning.

Or until her emotions were in check again.

The conversation that followed represented a magnificent example of contradicting one's true emotions completely.

''Hey, Tigress?'' the shyness in his voice was evident.

''Yes, Po?'' _Go away._

A brief silence followed.

''Are you awake?''

''Very much so, Dragon Warrior.'' _No, I'm just pretending._

Tigress could practically _feel _him fidgeting at this point.

''Are you… Um… Are you okay, Tigress?''

She sighed inaudibly. ''Of course.'' _Not._

Po surprisingly let go of his previous embarrassment at entering the feline's bedroom – the last encounter of the sort had not exactly been pleasant – and gathered his courage to walk as quietly as he could towards the bed where his friend was sitting cross-legged, most likely trying to meditate. Tough he had managed to keep his steps (somewhat) noiseless, when he made the poor decision of sitting on the edge of the mattress, he received a loud complaint from the object, which resulted in Tigress opening one eye.

Po grimaced in a comical way and, had it not been for her troubled state of mind, the feline would have chuckled. She settled for eyeing him expectantly, crimson eyes only gleaming in amusement for a moment.

Trying to regain some of his dignity, the panda cleared his throat and berated himself inwardly, before he remembered his self-assigned mission. He took a deep breath before speaking.

''Are you sure you're okay, Tigress? Like, I don't wanna be nosy or anything, but I'm pretty sure I heard you scream,'' he was extremely careful with his words and tone, his fear of the Master's abilities having never left him, despite their rather close friendship.

She stiffened completely at his statement. Had she really been so loud? Embarrassment and mild surprise had her tail unwillingly slashing thin air before she could prevent it from doing so. How was that possible? During years of being plagued by dreams, never once had she been confronted about them, either due to her self-taught ability to keep them a secret, or due to the fact people were too afraid of the repercussions if they were to disturb her, especially when she was in a state like this.

The panda was ridiculous.

She tried to respond before her silence could become suspicious – she had absolutely no idea how to receive comfort or discuss personal issues and she felt highly uncomfortable being placed in a position where such thing was even a possibility. Battle instincts screamed evasion.

''Po, I didn't… scream,'' Tigress instantly cursed her voice for betraying her. This was completely unheard of. She didn't know how to deal with these circumstances. The mere look of concern Po gave her after her failure of an _attempt_ at lying already made her wish to run away and hide.

Obviously not believing a single word she said, the Dragon Warrior placed his chubby hand over her paw and began massaging her knuckles in what he believed was a soothing manner.

In the meantime, Tigress was – how had Viper put it? – _freaking out_. Why could he not leave her alone to calm down? That was all she needed. She wanted to meditate for the rest of the night and then go back home to resume her routine. It was simple in her mind.

But _no_.

''Tigress, you know you can talk to me 'bout anything, right? I mean, we're friends!'' he tried to encourage her, disliking the way she looked so stiff and disturbed. She had helped him understand and accept so many things about himself without even knowing it, and he swore upon his noodles he would do the same for her. Whatever problem she had, it better get ready to feel the thunder!

Tigress took a breath and experimentally glanced into his emerald orbs. ''Yes, Po… We're friends.''

Visibly encouraged, the panda made a show of expressing his joy at her weak, yet still existent cooperation by punching her shoulder playfully and ending up cradling his injured fist, cheeks red and puffy.

Tigress could not help it then. She let out a chuckle, unknowingly relaxing her previously tense muscles. Po blushed furiously and tried to focus on their subject.

''So, your problem was…?'' he asked with a strained voice, blowing over his injured hand as if he truly believed it was going to help.

The feline looked away and sighed. How he always managed to get to her would forever be a mystery.

''It's really nothing serious, Po. Everyone has bad dreams sometimes,'' she said matter-of-factly, lessening the seriousness of the situation. It was all she could do to not lose her composure.

The Dragon Warrior's eyebrows formed a knot in concentration, to Tigress' mild confusion. He was in deep thought. If he knew her well, then what she said translated to 'I had a horrible nightmare that freaked the hell out of me, but I'm too independent to accept this, and the last thing I want is your sentimentalism.'

In his humble opinion, Po knew her very well, thank you.

He leaned back, ignoring the creaking noises this time, and grinned in a silly manner. ''So, what was it about?''

Tigress sighed deeply. ''You won't-''

''-Leave this very spot until you tell me? Nope.''

She shook her head softly. In her earlier days, she would have sent him flying without a second thought. However, now…

_He really grew on me, huh…_

If only a little reluctantly, for the first time in her life, Tigress revealed what she had experienced during the first hours of the night. Though she'd dwelled on it a little, she eventually decided not to skip the gruesome parts of her dream, since they _were_ warriors and he would have to grow a backbone about such things eventually.

Po listened intently, though his eyes were wide and he flinched occasionally. And he thought bad dreams meant being beaten by a radish.

When Tigress finished talking as calmly as she had begun, she was quite surprised to feel Po's larger form rather awkwardly pull her into a hug.

While the Dragon Warrior prayed to any divine entity who would listen that what he was doing was not suicide, Tigress' mind was busy processing. And it processed for a while.

Just as Po was about to let go of her a little disappointedly, the feline visibly relaxed. She did not return the embrace by any means, but she accepted it with a grateful smile the panda could not see. So, this was what it felt like to have weight lifted off one's chest. It was awkward, and yet… alright.

She was still Tigress of the Jade Palace though, so she cleared her throat and fixed her position soon, trying to ignore her friend's toothy, poorly concealed grin. He was still a fan boy.

Just this once, the Master smiled back, inwardly wondering what was proper to say. ''Not so hardcore after all, huh?'' in her opinion, her attempt failed miserably, but Po looked at her with such wide, incredulous eyes, that she started to believe she'd committed a downright felony.

''Are you freaking _kiddin' me_?! If _I _had a nightmare like that, I'd be cuddling plush toys for a month and fast to keep away bad spirits! Well, maybe not fast as in… _really_ fast, but… Yeah, you get it,'' he stumbled over his words, before placing his hand on her shoulder softly, so as to not injure himself again. ''Really, you were like, completely calm about it! Totally hardcore, Tigress. _Totally._''

It was too much for the tiger. She laughed. Po looked struck by lightning for a moment, not really knowing what she found so amusing, but he joined her either way so he wouldn't feel awkward. Besides, Tigress laughing? That was _rare_.

When their laughter subsided, Tigress shook her head and smiled. ''I guess I must thank you, Dragon Warrior.''

Said warrior grinned and laughed sheepishly, lifting himself from his seat and nervously stealing a glance at the door, not really knowing if he was supposed to leave. Tigress noticed and decided to end his misery with a small smirk at his antics.

''You should go sleep, Po. I didn't mean to keep you awake. We have to travel tomorrow.''

Between hasty reassuring that 'You didn't keep me awake, Tigress! It was fun to talk to you!' and sudden realizations about 'Oh, no! Your nightmare wasn't fun at all! Like, it was freaking creepy!' Po finally found his way to the door and outside the bedroom, leaving a surprisingly tranquil Tigress to fall back to sleep without fears of other nightmares torturing her.

Instead, she dreamed of smiling, fluffy pandas.

_~Fin~_


End file.
